While years ago, software outsourcing was mainly used for monetary reasons, nowadays it has become a global digital trend.
Becoming more and more challenging to develop the whole spectrum of software solutions inside their house, companies use outsourcing to get the professional help they need to keep up with the competition and deliver faster to the market.
To ensure the constant optimization of their operational capability and development of new products and services to compete with the ever-growing market, as well and maintain focus on the business objectives, hiring a right team of software developers is key.
Building up an inside team for software development might sound like a good idea, but hiring a company that has a legacy in this field ensures the best results and it is proved to be cost and time efficient.
While outsourcing software development comes with many benefits, both financially and logistically, there are risks that enterprises should take into consideration before entrusting their idea into the hand of an outsider. Below are some tips to smoothly outsource software development.
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Define your product and choose the right company
Once you have reached the decision to take your project to a specialized company, it is essential to have a clear vision for the outsourced product. In order to establish a good connection with the team that will handle the development, it is best to put in writing the expectations and responsibilities, this way avoiding any risk of misunderstandings.
Do your research and come up with a list of at least five companies that you can prospect, establish meetings with them and keep in mind the following aspects when choosing the team:
- Project portfolio.
- Domain expertise.
- Reviews.
- Client feedbacks.
Another important aspect to keep in mind when choosing the right software development company is continuous integration.
The role continuous integration has in streamlining both software development and the software outsourcing process is key in increasing efficiency. It helps both the developing team and the product owners work together smoothly, by eliminating barriers and delivering the final product faster to the market.
Choose a company that is up to date with different solutions for continuous integration and can use the existing tools to your advantage, but also keeps an eye out for future trends and comparisons, like for example the constant battle of kubernetes vs docker, which experts know is not really a battle, as both systems work on different levels and can be used as great allies.
Keep good communication and transparency
To successfully apply outsourcing, make sure you keep a high level of communication, giving feedback constantly and discuss ideas with the team that is developing the project.
Proactivity when discussing mechanisms and requirements is proven to increase efficiency on the vendor’s part. You should agree with the company to receive prototypes and demos, before the final coding begins and make sure you have access to bug reports, to minimize your losses and gain leverage, in case your vendor becomes unable to finish the product.
If you are working with an offshore team, take into consideration the time-zone difference and make sure you have somebody that will answer your calls or emails on time. You would not want to run into a problem and waste valuable hours, because nobody from the developing team is in the office to help you.
Also, establish weekly meetings with all members of the developing team, to strengthen your relationships and get quick access to updates.
Focus on UX
Design nowadays doesn’t only focus on making the product look good, but also making it functional, as more than 60% of employees have said that the main reason for barely using enterprise mobile apps is poor user experience.
By understanding the user, you will be more likely to deliver a successful product that will be meeting their needs and boost the value of your company. It is important to find a provider that not only grants good technology, but has a strong understanding of UX.
UX design turns the client’s requests into a real-time image, becoming than just the design and focusing on the functionality as well. When discussing with the software development team, ask a UX designer to create a prototype of a workflow, that you can review and approve before the developing process starts.
Look for a development company that has a powerful UX expertise and can help you not only provide your user with the latest technologies, but also surpass your competitors. With the world-recognized importance of UX design, ignoring it simply can’t be an option.
Implement agile methodologies
Agile methodology has extended to all types of industries and its importance has been acknowledged by everybody in the business.
In the last 30 years, agile methods have increased in both success and popularity, especially because of the positive outcome they had in software development, by boosting productivity and delivering the products faster and market-ready.
When understood and combined properly, agile methodologies can be a great help in maximizing the value of the product. While agile processes are typically used when working with an in-house team, they can be implemented when working with an outsourcing team, to ensure better communication and reduce costs.
Agile methodologies can allow your company to keep an eye on production, by allowing the owner and the developer to work together. It allows the product to be put together in sprints and ensures both the development team and the product owner to understand the project, goals and target.
Automation is a process that has to be built into each step of the developing process, in order to efficiently use agile methodologies. The structure of the test automation should be easy to maintain, correctly executed and any failing tests should be reported immediately.
The automated test should be accessible both to the in-house and offshore team and should be executed with one click, if someone wants to run it before or after executing a piece of code.
